Establish Healthy Eating Habits and Reap the Reward

Healthy eating habits definitely can’t be formed by scratching one’s food itch at drive-thrus, check-out counter candy bars, vending machines and Big Gulps.

These are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think about eating on the run and contributors to developing lousy eating habits. If the mindset is to grab whatever when hunger strikes, then whatever probably means a nutrient-poor resemblance of food that comes wrapped up in a shiny package with a long list of ingredients listed on the back. The manufacturer has probably added vitamins and minerals to make the food appear worthy of consumption, but really, the nutrient density of the food is similar to eating paper. This is even without mentioning added preservatives, mold-inhibitors, and stabilizers so that this packaged food remains safe to eat for a year or more.

Meals that our great-grandparents ate less than 100 years ago consisted of pastured butter and cream, free-range animals, and organic vegetables. However, they did not need these food-quality descriptors, because they referred to these high-quality gifts from the Earth as simply, food.

Simply, food was also served at a communal table where everyone gathered to share the adventures or displeasures of their day. Simply, food was prepared by hands that are attached to a body that has feelings and taste buds. Simply, food was picked from the soil with similar hands. Simply, food was tended to during a season that was watered by rain and enriched with vitamins and minerals from the Earth while basking in the sun. Simply, food was planted from seed or cared for in a herd. Simply, food is the way that humans ate for the majority of their history.

The rise of canned foods, packaged foods, hectic work and school schedules, split families, and the desire to constantly be on the go has ushered in the loss of knowing how to feed oneself and how to instill healthy eating habits in our children. Eating high-quality, nutrient dense, home-prepared, balanced meals three times per day in a relaxed setting with little distraction, perhaps in the company of another person whom you enjoy. This is an ideal and the way that we should all strive to eat. How does this scenario lead to health?

• Ensures adequate nutrition intake every day because every meal is a complete meal packed full of nutrients that digest slowly due to the combination of protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates.
• Stabilizes blood sugar making you feel even keeled and level-headed through the entire day.
• Reduces mood swings.
• Reduces cortisol release. Eating evenly-spaced meals that contain protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates means less hunger between meals. It also ensures less sugary snacks are eaten on a whim, meaning you remain more relaxed through the day. Constantly elevated cortisol levels are associated with hormone dysregulation, mood disorders, poor sleep, fatigue, and digestive imbalances.
• Avoids eating on the run, which often means grabbing substandard food and poor digestion.

Once you establish healthy eating habits, they become second nature to you and will lead to your abundance in wellbeing. These good eating habits will be passed onto your kids who will benefit from improved health too. This means an improved immune system with less frequent colds and flu, sustained energy, better brain functioning, ability to concentrate, and increased mood.

 

What does a high-quality, nutrient dense, home-prepared, balanced meal look like?

It may include a pastured chicken thigh roasted with the skin on, served alongside oven-roasted organic carrots and parsnips that have been tossed in coconut oil, sea salt, and tarragon prior to roasting. Squeeze with lemon just before serving.

Another nutritious meal option would include two strips of nitrate-free organic bacon sliced into pieces, pan fried. Add a few organic sundried tomatoes and two large handfuls of kale purchased at your town’s farmers market. Sauté until tender, top with a sprinkling of pine nuts.

An easy weeknight meal: Grilled wild-caught salmon filet that is about the size of your palm served alongside grilled asparagus spears bought from a local farmer. Enjoy some strawberries for dessert.

 

 

For lunch, pack up dinner leftovers to enjoy in your office’s breakroom, not at your desk while you try to answer emails in between bites.For breakfast, ensure you give yourself enough time in the morning to eat something substantial. A two-egg omelet filled with wilted spinach and goat cheese is extremely quick to prepare yet satisfying to eat. Serve alongside a piece of sprouted, whole-wheat toast and you will remain full until lunch time.

Breakfast sweet potato hash prepared on the weekend is easy to reheat in a skillet on a weekday morning.

Chia pudding placed in the fridge the night before makes for an indulgent morning meal when topped with organic berries, walnuts, and a drizzle of raw honey.

Now that the food is ready, how will it be served? To improve digestion, assimilation, and absorption of your meals, it needs to be eaten and digested in a relaxed state – much like how our great-grandparents ate all of their meals, strive to emulate their dining skills.

Serve meals on a real plate positioned at a dining room table set with fork and knife. Sit in a chair at the table with your meal in front of you. Observe your meal, what does it look like, what is the texture? Smell its aromas. Before picking up your utensils to eat, give gratitude, thanks, or say a prayer about this meal. Chew each bite thoroughly, truly tasting it before swallowing. How does the first bite compare to the last? If you are in the company of others, then discuss the food and complement the chef to make everyone more aware of the meal.

Practice these healthy eating habits at every meal, three times per day and your health will be the reward.

 

These recommendations are for educational purposes only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.